


Four Ways to Say I Love You

by Fumm95



Series: Morning Glory (Jace Malcom & Satele Shan) [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, KotFE speculation, Tumblr Prompts, kotfe, mature adult relationships built on respect give me life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:39:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6169411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumm95/pseuds/Fumm95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They don't say the words to each other, not anymore, but they don't need to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Ways to Say I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by erunamiryene on tumblr, which turned into feels and also how KotFE may go down between these two.
> 
> Specific prompts in chronological order:  
> 12\. “Take my jacket, it’s cold outside.”  
> 46\. “You can go first.”  
> 22\. “It’s not heavy. I’m stronger than I look.”  
> 85\. “It doesn’t bother me.”

By the time she realizes they’ve been discussing the consequences of the Zakuul invasion - and tiptoeing around Theron’s disappearance - for the better part of the day, it is already dark out and Satele frowns as she considers heading back to Tython. Her presence will be needed with the rest of the Jedi Order, now that the galaxy is in even more chaos.

But _he_ is still pouring over maps and battle strategies, in spite of the fatigue lining his face, and it occurs to her that, in their rush to devise a plan around Supreme Chancellor Saresh’s inaction, neither of them have eaten.

He looks up, startled, at the sound of her chair scraping across the wood floor and she wonders if she imagines the disappointment that crosses his face for a millisecond. “Leaving already?”

“For some food. Neither of us have eaten all day. Don’t worry, I can take care of it,” she adds hastily as he moves to join her.

For a second, he regards her, then nods. “Bring me back anything.” He hesitates for a minute. “Take my jacket. It’s cold outside.”

“It hasn’t been that long since I’ve stayed this late, Jace.” Her face softens as she studies his expression. “But I will, thank you.”

* * *

“Well, we can’t both go,” she points out as she eyes the distance between the Core Worlds and Wild Space. “It’s much too far to travel easily back and forth and someone has to keep an eye on the Republic.”

“You mean someone has to stop Saresh from destroying it completely,” he grouses but she can hear the reluctant agreement in his tone.

“We’ll have to do it one at a time, then.” She presses her lips together, fully expecting him to argue but to her surprise, he doesn’t speak immediately, only watches her with steady eyes. “Well?”

He sighs, a sound that, strangely, makes her heart ache. “You can go first.”

She stares at him, unsure if she’s misheard him. “What?”

“I know how worried you are about Theron. Don’t even try to deny it.” He exhales heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Go find him, Satele.”

She doesn’t need her Force-sensitivity to know how hard it is for him to say that.

* * *

He watches as she lugs another box of supplies onto the ship and puts it in the cargo bay, the finality of what they are planning settling onto his shoulders. It almost seems excessive, how much food and medical equipment she is bringing, but he will not back down; they have no idea how long she has to travel, who she’ll run into, and if she won’t concede to bring anybody with her, then he’ll at least do as much as he can to ensure she’s well-supplied.

When she appears with the final box, big enough that it seems to be overwhelming her, he moves to take it, but she shakes her head. “It’s not heavy.” She smiles. “I’m stronger than I look.”

She is talking about more than the box, he knows, and he forces a grin of his own. “I remember.”

But that won’t stop him from worrying.

* * *

The time until her departure seems to fly by the more he wills for it to slow down and he fidgets on the bridge, wishing he could invent another reason to delay.

“Well,” and he can hear the forced enthusiasm she injects into her own voice, even if she is eager to find her son - _their_ son - again, “this is it.”

“Yeah.”

A gentle hand on his cheek takes him by surprise, as does the warmth in her gaze as he meets her eyes. “Thank you, Jace. I know I was being difficult but…”

He shakes his head, swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat. “No, no. What you say makes sense. It doesn’t bother me.”

She smiles at that, a sad thing that makes him want to _beg_  to accompany her, the Republic be damned. But instead, he forces a smile and wishes her luck.

He wonders, as he leaves, if she could sense the lie in his voice.


End file.
